Helmut Schlesinger (4 September 1924 – 23 December 2024) was a German economist and President of the Bundesbank from 1991 to 1993. Having worked for the institution and its precursor from 1952, he pursued monetary stability.
Helmut Schlesinger | |
|---|---|
 Schlesinger in 1991 | |
| 5th President of the German Bundesbank | |
| In office 1991–1993 | |
| Preceded by | Karl Otto Pöhl |
| Succeeded by | Hans Tietmeyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 September 1924 Penzberg, Bavaria, Germany |
| Died | 23 December 2024 (aged 100) Bad Homburg, Hesse, Germany |
| Spouse | Carola |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Munich (Diplom, PhD) |
| Occupation | Economist |
Life
editSchlesinger was born in Penzberg, Bavaria, on 4 September 1924.[1] His schooling was at Bavarian boarding schools until he joined the German military in 1943 and served for two years during World War II.[2] He then studied economics at the University of Munich, from which he graduated with a Diplom in 1948, and with a doctorate in economics in 1951.[1] His thesis was about economic efficiency in the public administration sector.[3]
Career
editFrom 1949 to 1952, Schlesinger worked at the Ifo Institute for Economic Research in Munich.[2] He entered the precursor of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the Bank deutscher Länder, in 1952 and ascended rapidly to the position of a department head.[4] In 1956, he served as Head of the Economic Analysis and Forecasting Division.[3] In 1964, he was appointed Head of the Economics and Statistics Department; he became a member of the executive board in 1972.[3] He served as deputy chairman from 1980 to 1991 and as President of the German Central Bank from 1991 to 1993 when he retired,[4] succeeding Karl Otto Pöhl and succeeded by Hans Tietmeyer. His key objective was the stability of the currency.[4][5] His counter-inflation policies influenced European monetary politics.[6][5] Remarks by Schlesinger in Handelsblatt in 1992 triggered a financial crisis for the British pound that became known as Black Wednesday.[7]
Schlesinger was a distinguished honorary professor at the German University of Administrative Sciences.[8] He was an advisor to IDEAglobal Group, a global financial research organisation.[9]
Personal life
editSchlesinger and his wife Carola had four children.[10] He turned 100 on 4 September 2024.[6][11]
Schlesinger died in Bad Homburg[12] on 23 December 2024.[2][4][10]
Awards
editSchlesinger was a member of the Orders of Merit and of Chivalry of Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, and Luxembourg.[13] He received honorary doctorates from the universities of Frankfurt (1981),[14] Göttingen (1981),[15] and St. Gallen (1993).[16][17]
References
edit- ^ a b "Prof. Dr. oec. publ. Dr. h.c. mult. Helmut Schlesinger". Deutsche Bundesbank (in German). December 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b c Henry, David; Randow, Jana (27 December 2024). "Helmut Schlesinger, Bundesbank Leader in 90s Crisis, Dies at 100". BNN Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "Helmut Schlesinger". Deutsche Bundesbank (in German). Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Bundesbank nimmt Abschied von Helmut Schlesinger". Deutsche Bundesbank (in German). 27 December 2024. Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ a b Braunberger, Gerold (27 December 2024). "Schlesinger, quintessential German central banker, turns 100". FAZ (in German). Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b Marsh, David (3 September 2024). "Schlesinger, quintessential German central banker, turns 100". OMFIF. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ Alain Naef (30 September 2022). "A small remark with big consequences: what sparked Black Wednesday?". Economic History Society. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ "Lehrende". Universität Speyer (in German). 12 December 2024. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ "Prof Dr. Schlesinger". IDEAcarbon. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Ex-Bundesbank-Präsident Schlesinger gestorben". Hessenschau (in German). 27 December 2024. Archived from the original on 28 December 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Former Bundesbank President Helmut Schlesinger turns 100". www.bundesbank.de. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Helmut Franz Schlesinger". lebenswege.faz.net (in German). 30 December 2024. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ Hennessy, E.; Messenger, Y., eds. (2001). "Helmut Schlesinger". Who's Who in Central Banking, 2002 (3rd ed.). London: Central Banking Publication. pp. 208–210. ISBN 1-902182-20-0.
- ^ "Ehrendoktorwürde". Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ "Ehrendoktorwürde". Georg-August Universität Göttingen (in German). 1 January 1970. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ "Ehrendoktorate der Universität St.Gallen (HSG)". HSG Startseite – Universität St.Gallen (in German). Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ Schlesinger, Prof. Dr. Helmut. "Ehrungen". Prof. Dr. Helmut Schlesinger (in German). Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
Further reading
edit- Bub, Norbert; Duwendag, Dieter; Richter, Rudolf (1989). Geldwertsicherung und Wirtschaftsstabilität (in German). Frankfurt am Main: F. Knapp. ISBN 978-3-7819-0432-3.
- Mink, Reimund; Schlesinger, Helmut (2024). Helmut Schlesinger Wegbereiter und Garant der deutschen Geld- und Stabilitätspolitik wird 100 (in German). Frankfurt am Main: Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability, Goethe University Frankfurt. OCLC 1454846036.
- Nagel, Joachim (3 September 2024). "Ehemaliger Bundesbankpräsident Schlesinger feiert 100. Geburtstag von Helmut Schlesinger" [Guardian of the culture of stability – paying tribute to Helmut Schlesinger on his 100th birthday]. Börsen-Zeitung. Deutsche Bundesbank. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- von Furstenberg, George M.; Ulan, Michael K. (1998). "Schlesinger's Steady Honing of Germany's Anti-Inflation Resolve". Learning from the World's Best Central Bankers. Boston, MA: Springer US. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-4959-8_4. ISBN 978-0-7923-8304-8.
External links
edit
- Official website (in German)